Justina Machado to Appear in First-Ever The Muppets Halloween Television Special

It’ll be a Haunted Halloween for Justina Machado.

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican actress will appear in the first Halloween television special featuring The Muppets.

Justina Machado

Muppets Haunted Mansion will premiere on Friday, October 8, exclusively on Disney+.

Starring in the special alongside the Muppets are Will Arnett (as The Ghost Host), Yvette Nicole Brown (The Hearse Driver), Darren Criss (The Caretaker) and Taraji P. Henson (The Bride).

In Muppets Haunted Mansion, the Great Gonzo – world-famous daredevil artiste, has done it all, seen it all and survived it all. But on Halloween night, the fearless Gonzo takes on the greatest challenge of his life by spending one very daring night in the most grim grinning place on Earth: the Haunted Mansion.

In addition to Machado, Muppets Haunted Mansion will also feature appearances from Chrissy Metz, Alfonso Ribeiro, Edward Asner, Jeannie Mai, Danny Trejo, Sasheer Zamata, Craig Robinson, Skai Jackson, Pat Sajak, Geoff Keighley, Kim Irvine and John Stamos as himself.

The Muppets Haunted Mansion EP will be released on October 8 from Walt Disney Records, and will include three new original songs: “Rest in Peace,” “Life Hereafter,” and “Tie the Knot Tango,” plus a cover of the 1970s classic, “Dancing in the Moonlight.”

Anitta to Appear in the YouTube Originals Special “Dear Earth”

Anitta is celebrating the planet…

The 28-year-old Brazilian singer, songwriter, actress and dancer will be featured in an upcoming YouTube Originals special titled Dear Earth.

Anitta

Anitta will appear alongside BLACKPINKBillie EilishJaden Smith and more in the special premiering in October.

Dear Earth is part of YouTube Originals’ October sustainability-centered programming.

Former President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Desmond Tutu and Google/Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai are among the global leaders presenting during the multi-hour celebration of the planet.

It will follow a similar format to YouTube Originals’ Dear Class of 2020 all-star commencement special during the pandemic last year, with keynote addresses, musical performances, special appearances and comedic shorts.

Dear Earth will “inspire and motivate audiences to create a better, healthier, existence for the planet through contributions from a wide range of global leaders, creators, celebrities and musicians,” Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s global head of original content, told reporters during the Summer TCA press tour.

Lil Dicky and GaTa as well as Tinashe will also be featured, as well as Marsai Martin, The Muppets, SpongeBob SquarePants and YouTube creators AsapSCIENCEBrave WildernessBretman Rock, DreamJack HarriesTheOdd1sOutPhysicsGirl and ZHC.

Dear Earth will premiere on YouTube on October 23.

The special is produced by Done + Dusted, Strong Brew and Silverback Films.

Selena Gomez’s HBO Max Cooking Series “Selena + Chef” Returning for Third Season

Selena Gomez isn’t ready to leave the kitchen just yet…

The 28-year-old Mexican American singer/actress will be serving up a third season of Selena + Chef on HBO Max.

Selena Gomez

New episodes of the unscripted cooking series will premiere later this year.

In Season 3, Gomez will continue her cooking adventures at home with a new roster of all-star chefs that will help her whip up delicious dishes. Like in its first two seasons, each chef will highlight a different charity each episode. To date, the series has raised $360,000 for 23 nonprofit organizations.

The series is executive produced by Gomez for July Moon Productions.

Gomez executive produced the Sony romantic feature The Broken Hearts Gallery, which was one of the first movies to get exhibition reopened as the pandemic eased last summer.

She also stars as Mavis and executive produces Sony Animation’s upcoming summer release Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

And she stars and serves as EP on Hulu’s Steve Martin and Martin Short series Only Murders in the Buildingand she’s attached to star in the Elgin James feature drama In the Shadow of Mountain

Gomez released three albums with her former band Selena Gomez & the Scene: Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010) and When the Sun Goes Down (2011), all of which peaked within the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and attained gold certifications.

Her 2015 album Revival went platinum twice. Gomez released her third solo album Rare last year via Interscope Records, debuting atop the Billboard 200, making it her third consecutive No. 1 album in the U.S.

And, she released her first Spanish-language album earlier this year. Revelación debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

Gomez’s feature credits include Monte Carlo, The Muppets, Spring Breakers, The Hotel Transylvania franchise, Getaway, The Fundamentals of Caring, Neighbors 2: Sorority Risingand Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die

Valderrama’s “Minority Report” Receives “Most Exciting New Series” Honor

It looks like Wilmer Valderrama is one of the minorities to watch next season…

The Broadcast Television Journalists Association has named eight honorees for its Most Exciting New Series category, including Fox’s drama pilot Minority Report, starring the 35-year-old Colombian and Venezuelan American actor.

Wilmer Valderrama

In addition to Valderrama’s Minority Report, which also stars Meagan Good, the honorees include American Crime Story (FX), Aquarius (NBC), Blindspot (NBC),  The Muppets (ABC), Scream Queens (Fox), Supergirl (CBS), and UnREAL (Lifetime).

All are dramas except for comedy The Muppets and horror comedy Scream Queens, which stars  Lea Michele and Diego Boneta.

The honorees were chosen by BTJA members from pilots, early episodes and trailers from series premiering after May 1.

The fifth annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards will air live May 31 on A&E from the Beverly Hilton. Cat Deeley is hosting.